


Nothing and Everything

by Rapidopatter



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Everyone Is Alive, LOWAA, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Harm, Weed, is fucked up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-04
Updated: 2014-05-05
Packaged: 2018-01-14 13:01:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1267492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rapidopatter/pseuds/Rapidopatter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>That stupid fucker. Look at him. Wait no, don't, you don't want to get caught staring. Not that you were of course. That'd be creepy and you are definitely not creepy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

That stupid fucker. Look at him. Wait no, don't, you don't want to get caught staring. Not that you were of course. That'd be creepy and you are definitely not creepy. Sliding your gaze back to your computer screen you watch as bright teal text pops up in reply to the wall of grey you've already typed. You don't even need to read it to know its probably something insulting or sarcastic. Or both. Most likely both. Karkat is dumb bluh bluh bluh you've heard it all before. You type a quick "be right back" which is actually five sentences long and says the word "grubfucker" at least once, but you know she gets the idea. Getting up from your chair you grit your teeth as you hear laugher mixed with a couple snorts as Dave and John Egbert himself lean over a computer screen together. 

God damn it. 

You ignore them as you slink across the room and down the hallway to the kitchen. You've all taken up using the human and Highblood terms for things since everyone decided its quicker and easier to do. You simply don't give a fuck anymore. Opening the "fridge" you pull out an armful of ingredients and distract yourself with making a sandwich. It doesn't work. Your mind wanders as you absent-mindedly scrape grub jelly onto a slice of bread. 

Ever since you all had won the game a couple peragrees (or as the humans say, months) ago, things had been going surprisingly okay. Jade and Kanaya had informed the group that due to stupid ass spacey shit, it would take another year to travel to a certain spacial rip that you all have to pass through to enter into the new universe. Their reasoning was that your guy's session was extra fucked over by time travel and alternate universe shenanigans, resulting in some reality warpage, but you like to think the universe wants to fuck you over one last time before you leave. The positive spin to this whole thing is that the game brought everyone back to life, and since you're all together everyone gets to relax and spend time with each other before having to worry about the future once you all cross into the next world. The negative is that everyone was brought back to life, and some people are still bitter about the whole "you murdered me" thing. Being stuck on a ship together is not the best thing for those who may want to seek some kind of revenge.

You sigh, leaning an elbow onto the table and burying your face into one of your hands. You could count how many times you've seen Gamzee on one hand since the game was won, though you can understand why he's been so scarce. Equius isn't very forgiving to those who hurt (and in this case kill) his moirail, and you know both Kanaya and Terezi wouldn't mind causing a little indigo blood to be spilt. Eridan also has been incredibly elusive, only coming out of his room for food every so often. As the leader you've done your best to try and keep peace between your friends, but there is only so much you can do when dealing with bitter hearts.

Still, things have still been going surprisingly well now that everyone is together, humans including. Honestly you've been expecting something horrible to happen, but the worst thing you can think of is how difficult it was to get everyone to agree to chore duty. At least things have fallen into a comfortable rhythm to where the ungrateful shitsponges only complain now and then. 

Well, honestly, something horrible has happened, but only to you. Isn't that how is always fucking goes? You're positive the universe truly does hate you, for said horrible thing is none other than your pathetic excuse of a co-leader, John fucking Egbert.  


Fuck, where do you even begin? The moment everyone finally met up, you knew you were screwed (though you'd never admit it). Dave had told you over and over about how much of a huge dork John was even though you knew first hand from watching his life over the view ports. His stupid buck teeth and glasses stood out in your mind whenever Dave mentioned him, so nothing could prepare you for what you saw the moment that windy asshole flew off of the battle ship and onto the meteor. God damn John Egbert was fucking hot. You thought you could ignore this unexpected fact about him as long as you focused on his annoying personality, but soon you realized that this wasn't the same thirteen year old kid you interacted less than a couple sweeps ago. His humor and social skill had obviously improved due to some unknown cause and you began to realize you enjoyed hanging out with the fuckface. Shit. 

When Dave noticed that you had begun acting a bit off, he gave you this whole speech about how even though John was here now, the two of you would always be close bros and he's not replacing you etc etc. Of course you couldn't tell him the real reason was because you wanted to suck face with his best friend. That shit is downright embarrassing.

You finish making you sandwich and put your ingredients back into the fridge (because you're not some kind of brain damaged slob) before walking down the hallway to your designated block. You stop mid-bite in front of Eridan's door at the sound of a couple coughs and a honk. You continue chewing at you bang your fist against the door, and you can hear some crashing and cursing from inside. After a few moments the door opens and a rather tired looking Eridan stands leaning against the doorway. The room is hazy with smoke and a odd smell hits you in a wave that makes your nose scrunch is disgust. Peering past the seadweller you can see Gamzee laying upside down on a couch, something white and burning loosely held between his fingers as his arm dangles lazily over the edge. Eridan leans back into your line of sight and you snap your attention back to the troll in front of you.

"What do you want Kar?" Eridan sighs, brushing some of his disheveled hair out of his face. He use to be obsessed with taking care of his hair.

"I haven't seen horn or hair of Gamzee in what, three weeks now? Forgive me for wanting to see how the stupid fuck was doing. Of course, it's not like he could check in with me once and a while. I'm sure he's far to busy juggling his own fucking shame globs to talk with me every now and then, don't worry I totally get it." You snap back. Eridan simply blinks slowly at you before dismissively replying, "He's fine" before closing the door in your face. 

You grit your teeth but don't push it. You have tried to before, but its never ended very well. You walk away before the smell can stick to you (Rose told you the smell comes from "Weed" but the stupid bitch didn't elaborate). After finally arriving at your room, you quickly lock the door and flop down on your bed. Unfortunately sopor can't be properly alchemized since it always wants to turn into ectoplasm, but luckily Sollux figured out how to create patches that help to keep the daymares at bay. Since there's no need for recupracoons now, every room is set up with a stupid human bed.

So here you are. Laying on your shitty crab print sheets. Staring up at the shitty ceiling while finishing off your shitty sandwich. Thinking about that shitty John Egbert.  


...Yeah, you're royally fucked. 

~oOo~

"Yo Karkat I haven't seen much of you lately. Where've you been, man?" Dave Strider was leaning lazily against the wall outside the main room, obviously waiting for you to arrive even though he was still trying to keep up the facade of nonchalance. You grip you fingers on the edge of your too-long sleeves and ignore his question.

"Where's John?"

Dave's eyebrow lifts ever-so subtlety in response. Any eyebrow lifting is too much lifting in your opinion. His eyebrows needed to calm the fuck down to their usual positions before they become absent Lusi who never visit their grubs, leaving their family torn apart and broken. Fuck Dave's eyebrows. 

"Why does it matter Karkitty?" Dave drawls, "Bro, I thought we already talked about this."

"Ugh I know ---you only tell me every other god damn second. I get it. You're the Knight of Time so it probably just tickles your bone bulge at the idea of repeatedly reminding me of our bro-ship for the rest of eternity." You pause, "...Do you... Wanna hang out?"  


The eyebrow returns to its loving family, and he smirks (much like he's hiding a genuine smile) as he replies, "Of fucking course."

The two of you walk off to find Jade since she's in charge of handling the planets. It's been a while since you've done a little mindless adventuring with Dave, and you've missed it. Plus it'll probably help you get your mind off of a certain Heir of Breath.  


However, you seem to have forgotten that the universe hates you. When you find Jade, John is also there talking to his ecto-twin.

The moment he notices you and Dave his face lights up and he bounds over like an excited woof-beast. "Hey guys! What's up?" 

Dave gives you a side glance that you pretend not to notice as he replies, "Nothing much Egderp. Just me and Karkles here planning on destroying some shit to kill time, you dig?" 

John's grin widens and you already know what he's going to say next.

"Can I tag along? It feels like its been foreeeeeeeever-" (you can hear the eight "e"s in his voice) "-since all three of us have hung out together!"

"Uh, I dunno man. Karkat and I were planning on-" Dave doesn't get to finish his stupid sentence while scratching his head awkwardly because you interrupt him.

"Sure that sounds fan-fucking-tastic. Ignore the fact that usually I say that sarcastically, because this time I actually do mean in genuinely. It really has been a while since us douchebags have done anything together. I say we go for it." 

Plus you are fucking sick and tired of Dave tip toeing around John when you're with him like you're some fragile teacup that can shatter at any given moment. Time for you to face this dumbass crush of yours head-on!

In hindsight you should've realized that past you was fucking stupid.

Dave, calm and collected (you know he's surprised) shrugs, "Sure, if Nubby McShouty here is cool with it then I don't see any problems."

John, of course, lights up like a tree on fucking 12th Parigee's Eve. "Awesome! So what planet are we planning on here?"

"Planet shut-your-gaping-pie-hole-while-we-still-make-up-our-minds!" You snap at him, though your voice lacks malice. 

John simply grins at you as Jade finally makes her way over to where the three of you are talking.

"What's this I hear about adventuring?" Jade's woof beast ears swivel around atop her head as she beams in a way thats an uncanny copy of John's smile. Human genes are weird.

"You heard correctly, Harley. I have a condition where if I don't kick some monster ass with my bros every so often, my heart collapses in on itself out of pure anguish and sorrow. Hit us up with a planet ASAP before I wither away into a husk of the cool kid I once was." 

Dave feigns the throws of death by falling onto his knees and clutching at his shirt over his heart. Jade giggles like wind chimes and you wonder when the two of them will hurry up and hook up since its obvious to everyone how flushed they are for each other. That's an issue for another day, however, as you draw your focus back to Jade as she pulls up twenty glittering marbles out of seemingly thin air (you know she keeps a pouch with them in it on her at all times along with at least five computers). The marbles, which are actually planets, spin in a perfect circle, suspended in the space between her hands.

"Hey, you know a planet we haven't checked out yet that would be totally sweet to explore?" John asks, eyes flickering from tiny planet to tiny planet. He doesn't wait for a response, of course, has he continues, "LOWAA. Don't you think that'd be cool?"  


"I don't know Egbert," You shift uncomfortably, "Eridan has always been pretty adamant about how much of a shitty cesspool the Land of Wrath and Angels is. Plus he spent all his time there, and look how fucked up he became."

John rolls his eyes at you, the asshole. "Oh come on Karkat, everyone knows Eridan was kinda crazy even before the whole game. Plus didn't you guys say he spent all his time killing his own consorts instead of solving puzzles and fighting actual enemies? I'm guessing that planet is a treasure-trove of awesome stuff to do that no one's done yet!"

"Gonna agree with Egderp on this one," Dave climbs back onto his feet and slings an elbow onto John's shoulder, "I'd rather not have to waste my time trying to find something that hasn't been done like last time when we were on spider bitch's planet."

You shrug, "Fine, if you two don't give a shit traveling to a planet inhabited my essentially motherfucking demons then let's go! All aboard the idiot train to fun adventures and grievous injury, all tickets are one way because we're all such fucking chumps." You pause a moment before adding, "It might be cool."

Dave smirks and John gives you that stupid ass grin of his that sometimes makes it feels like brightly coloured flutter creatures are flying about and eating the inner lining of your stomach sack. Jade waves her hands about and you're filled with the sensation of being shrunk down and sent through a tiny planet's atmosphere at insane speeds as she performs her god-like space skills on the three of you.

Looking back on past you, you can say with great conviction, 

 

Seriously

 

Fuck LOWAA.


	2. Chapter 2

Black structures and towers rose up all around you, edging illuminated by the almost blinding white light of the over stretching sky. Even with his dark aviators Dave was trying to shade his eyes from the light in surprise, and John's glasses were reflecting so brightly you could no longer see his eyes. Actually, you could no longer see anything, you realized, as the light flooded your vision. Falling to your knees with a string of expletives following, you palm at your eyes in a desperate attempt to block out the rays. You stay like that for a couple minutes before you feel something tapping the side of your head. You crack one of your eyes open, red tears beading at the corners, and you can barely make out a blurry dark shape being held in front of you.

"I have an extra pair of shades, man. You need them." You hear Dave's voice from above you as you snatch up his offering. Placing the rims on your face its almost instant relief as the world washes out into a tolerable glow. The buildings around you sharpen, and instead of black blobs you can now begin to make out the intricate designs and flourishes of each piece of architecture. You blink a couple times as you adjust to the change before throwing a glare over at John. He can't see your dirty look, however, with both your new face wear on and the fact that he switched out his usual dorky pair of glasses to a just-as-dorky pair except with tinted lenses. 

"Whose idea was it again to throw us onto essentially the surface of the fucking sun? It couldn't have been the most brain-damaged human wriggler here, could it?" You growl, surveying your surroundings now that you could actually see. 

"Hey how was I suppose to know it was going to be this bright? If anything I thought a planet with the word "wrath" in its name would be darker." John shrugs, and you know this is the closest you'll probably get to an apology from him, the bulge knot. 

"Enough chatter, ladies," Dave pulls out his sword from his strife specibus before continuing, "You're not going to let a little sunshine get in your way, are you?"

You answer by pulling out your sickles, and John follows with one of his war hammers. Dave smirks before turning and striding (no pun intended goddamnit) ahead down the street the three of you were dropped upon. After only a few minutes of walking you reach a huge decorative fountain and what looks like a town center. The fountain is placed in the dead center of a circular mosaic that stretches out the the edges of the surrounding buildings. Five other roads seem to also connect to this center, though they stop abruptly as they reach the tiled mosaic.

"You were right, it looks like this place is still covered in unsolved puzzles," Dave comments towards John as he runs his hand along the edge of the empty fountain. Large faded gems studded the sides with decorative script and designs in between, clearly indicating clues to how to solve this puzzle. As your eyes drew up the fountain, you suddenly gasped, taking a step back. What you originally had assumed was some sort of stupid ass modern art center piece was really multiple hooded figures with ripped pieces of fabric made of stone whipping around them, entwined together as if descending upwards. The imposing form towered over you, though Dave and John (the distracted nook suckers) didn't seem to notice. You couldn't see their eyes, but even then you couldn't shake the feeling that they were watching you. After a few moments you jerked your gaze away to focus on looking around the area like the other fuckfaces were. Yet even while you busied yourself with looking for clues to solve this apparent puzzle, the back of your neck itched as if invisible gazes were burning into your head.

"I'm guessing we need to start this thing up!" John's voice echoed out of the empty fountain where his head disappeared behind as he hung over the edge, "Any ideas?" 

He leaned back out, hand resting on one of the gems for support, but was thrown off-balance as the gem sunk into the surface of the stone. He flailed about for a moment before regaining his balance, just in time to see the gem light up a pale blue. He paused a moment before grinning in triumph as if he had purposely made the discovery instead of stumbling upon it like the clumsy beautiful glob-gargling oaf that he was. After obviously internally praising himself, John turned to the rest of the gems and began pressing them. 

"Oh man this is great!" He exclaimed while pressing down on a gem that glowed green, "This puzzle reminds me of one I had to figure out in LOWAS! Be prepared for monsters or whatever to appear while I'm doing this, though. They were a huge pain to deal-" 

John's voice stops abruptly. You look up at him from where you were studying the mosaic at your feet, eyebrow raised. "What's this? John Egbert is actually at a lose for words? That never-ending bubbling spring of bullshit has finally run itself dry? I do believe I've finally witnessed an honest-to-god fucking miracle someone check to see if hell has been face-fucked into... the next... ice age..."

You trail off as you focused on John's face. It was ghostly white, as white as his stupid ghostbusters bed sheets, and that was pretty fucking white in your book. You could slightly make out the shapes of his eyes behind his darkened lenses, which were stretched wide open. Turning you head, you tried to follow his line of sight to where he must be looking, and out of your peripheral vision you see Dave do the same. 

"Gnashing of teeth and bone  
Bodies suspended alone"

A voice like grinding metal on metal fills your ears from above.

"Blood soaked tapestries and sound  
Spread and seep across the ground  
Though they may rise they will fall  
All who face His mighty call  
There is no hope  
There is no hope  
The Lord of Angels is coming  
The Lord of Angels is here"

Your breath catches in your throat as your eyes fall upon the creature speaking to your group. It's wings flap slowly, rhythmically, from its perch upon the low building behind you. As if in tune to the wing beats, a long sprite-like tail snaked through the air behind it, waving lazily back and forth. Claws, talons, you're not sure what they were, but they scratched across the rooftop as the creature tried to find a better hold. Each scramble of claws sent pieces of black shingling bouncing down the roof and onto the tiled street below.

Your group stared at the thing for a couple long moments of silence before a loud nails-on-chalkboard sound pierced the air as the creature pushed off of the rooftop and flew away. You continue to stare a moment more before finally snapping out of your dumbfound trance and turing your head to look at your companions. You're the first to speak.

"Please tell me that was some sort of sick joke or strange new monster none of us in the god awful stretch of this game ever encountered and not what I think it was."

John continued to look silently in the direction of where the thing disappeared, so it was Dave who spoke next.

"I think I finally get what your guys's issues with angels is all about."

You looked back at John, waiting for his input, but it never came. For a second he opened his mouth as if to say something, but a moment later his possible words turned into a scream as he suddenly backed away from the fountain. Actually, backed away is modestly putting it. You'd describe his movement as being more like throwing-himself-backward-and-landing-on-his-ass. Either way, John's sudden actions were understandable since the fountain seemed to of suddenly come to life. The figures twisted and pulled apart, taking to the sky. What had at first seemed like ripped fabric were now horrible wings that elevated the angels up into the air. The same painful scraping-metal-like voices filled the air in unison.

"Breath caught in throats  
Time sinks with boats  
Costumed by a sea  
Of Space not to be  
Swallows all Light  
Eternal night"

The angels screech their... Poem? Song? Incantation? You remember Eridan mentioning something about prophecies before, but this is just stupid.

"All are destined to fail  
Every colour will wail  
All are destined to die  
Every colour will cry  
The Lord of Angels is among us  
None are safe   
None can hide."

With that they scattered, leaving you, Dave, and John finally alone in the center.

"What... The actual horse-loving clown-honking shitty ass-backwards skateboard trick off the side of a volcano fuck?" Dave is still in the defensive stance he took when the angels took flight. He lowers his weapon and, though when it comes to Dave you shouldn't be surprised, starts laughing. "Jesus Christ did you hear that garbage? They sounded like a bunch of self-obsessed emo twelve year olds who paint their rooms black and write cliche depressing poems all day. I mean, seriously, did you hear that?" He continues chuckling while John climbs onto his feet, cracking a grin.

"Yeah that was pretty bad! If they weren't so creepy looking we probably wouldn't have been surprised at all!" 

While the hair on your neck was still standing on end and your gut was twisting uncomfortably, you still laugh awkwardly in agreement. "A pan damaged wriggler with a broken crayon could've written something better than that." 

You put your sickles away, turning back to the fountain. Where the angels had been previously perched there was now a gaping hole. John walked up beside you, scratching the side of his head as he also checked out the hole. His eyebrows drew together in confusion as he peered into the pit.

"This isn't right," he muttered, "On LOWAS I had to remember all these colour combinations and fight different monsters to finally get the fountain to open, and when it did there was a huge grist catch and it began to work. The fountain is still dry and all that's here is a hole...?" John turned his attention to a gem by him and reached out and pressed it. Nothing. Beneath his fingers the gem remained a cloudy white.

"Must be a dud." Dave says as he walks up behind the two of you. John shrugs, "I guess, unless its totally different to the one back on my planet. I mean, that'd make sense, except for the fact that the gems aren't working anymore, and there's no explanation for that, is there? This is a troll planet, did you ever run into duds on your planet Karkat?"

John turns his attention to you and you start. You know those alarmingly blue eyes are looking at you right now even though you haven't turned to face him yet, and you hate how he's made you self conscious like this. No, now's not the time. You're a leader and, though you may not be leading right now, you do know when not to be completely stupid (you've learned from a lot of past mistakes. A lot). Right now you're spending quality friend-time with your "bros" and you are not going to ruin anything with this stupid wriggler crush of yours by zoning out like an idiot. You quickly refocus your thoughts to Egbert's question.

"You think because we're trolls we'd get defective shitty planets? The only thing here defective is your think pan because if anyone would get damaged and useless planets it'd be you humans. Of course I never ran into any fucking duds while I spent time in my hellhole." You snap back civilly. John shrugs again like a passive asshole.

"Should we... Explore it?" John continues to gaze down the hole. The thing was only wide enough for one person to enter at a time, and, though you were slightly lacking in the height department, your shoulders were wide enough that it would be a bit of a tight fit if you tried to climb down it.

Dave quirks his eyebrow at you expectantly. You ponder a moment to yourself. Will you enter the tiny pitch dark pit of the unknown from where those hellish creatures had been guarding? Would you really risk looking like a coward in front of your two comrades, one of which is also your embarrassing flush crush?

Yes. Yes you would.

"Fuck that." You reply, turning to one of the five roads, "There's still way more to explore besides a shitty hole full of horrible decisions and regrets."

"Oh thank god," John sighed in relief, "Small dark holes aren't really my thing."

"That's not what you thought last night," Dave winked at him and John proceeded to punch him in the shoulder. 

You roll your eyes and choose one of the roads to walk down, ignoring how the hair on the back of your neck was still standing on end and it felt like something was crawling beneath your skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've had most of this written for a while now but haven't gotten around to finishing up this chapter and posting it until now. Don't worry I'm still updating I'm planning on much more to come


End file.
